


Faults And The Scars They Leave

by fishfingersandjellybabies



Category: Superman - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-19
Updated: 2017-05-19
Packaged: 2018-11-02 11:04:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10943187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fishfingersandjellybabies/pseuds/fishfingersandjellybabies
Summary: Jon was not going to be okay for a very long time.





	Faults And The Scars They Leave

**Author's Note:**

> mumble mumble after the Black Dawn arc. Jon opts to stay in Damian’s room. The Kents stay in Gotham for a while. Basically, it’s not said but the idea is Damian’s more or less channeling his inner fake-dad Dick for this. Poor Jonno. Black Dawn is hurting me so much, especially the end of Superman 23. Please stop making that little cherub cry.

He, admittedly, remembers little.

One second he’s getting raised by an invisible hand, staring into the eyes of some blonde girl.

The next, he’s waking up to the smashing of glass. Falling forward, hands under his arms. Adults talking, quick, worried. One is his father, sounding groggy himself. The other…

He blinks until his eyes start to focus.

The other is Superman, laying him carefully on the ground before him. He looks tired and upset, but determined as he rips black, inky tentacles away from Damian’s face.

“Jon…!” He tries to surge upwards, but Superman immediately pushes him back down. His father is instantly on his other side, an arm wrapped tight around his shoulders as he curled him into his chest. “That girl…Superman, the one who came to the house, she’s gonna hurt Jon…!”

“Shh, Damian, it’s okay. Stay calm, you need to rest.” Clark cooed, as he continued to pull the tendrils off Damian’s body. The things wriggled in his hands as he tried to burn them away with his heat vision. “Kathy…won’t be bothering Jon anymore. Don’t you worry.”

Damian blinked as Bruce slowly rubbed his shoulder, taking in their surroundings. They weren’t in a field by a tree anymore. They were…

“…Where are we?” Damian asked in an accidental slur. He looked up at Batman, and even behind the white lenses, he could see his father’s own concern. “Where’s Superboy?”

“At the hospital with his mother.” Bruce whispered, carefully running his free hand through Damian’s hair, knocking loose any remaining fragments of the goo.

“What happened to Lois?” Damian asked, surprised at his own feeling of alarm. “What happened, _period_?”

“That’s the last of them. Doesn’t look like there’ll be any lasting damage, if any.” Superman suddenly sighed, sounding relieved. Damian glanced up at him. “I’d like to get him checked out at the hospital too, though, if you don’t mind, Batman.”

“Not at all.” Batman grunted as, without warning, he began to stand, Damian still tight in his arms. “Better safe than sorry, especially with this.”

“Yeah.” Clark rubbed his hand across his face as he stood too. “…Yeah.”

“Father, I can walk.” Damian squirmed. “…Probably.”

“Just until we get to the car.” It almost sounded like Batman was pleading, even as Clark turned away, taking the lead. “And Clark and I will explain along the way.”

And explain they did.

And it was _terrible_.

Damian felt guilty. Instead of helping protect Jon, he just fought with him. And by fighting with him, that Kathy girl took him out, and it left Jon alone. Maybe Damian could have done more if he was there, if he hadn’t been knocked out. Maybe he could have saved Jon from getting tortured by this Manchester Black.

Or maybe he’d have been put through the same agony. Maybe Batman would have been hurt like Lois had been.

Batman must have come to the same conclusion. No wonder he was keeping Damian so close, and worrying so much.

When they arrived at the hospital, Superman and Batman allowed him to walk. His legs were stiff, though, and it made him slow. Superman and Batman stayed close to his sides, keeping him safely between them.

The hallways all hushed as they came through, with people whispering frantically to each other. Damian just watched them as they walked. Turning left, then right. Taking an elevator to the third floor, and passing two nurses stations before taking another right.

They came upon Jon immediately.

He was standing in the corridor, a nurse crouched in front of him, and the door that led to Lois’s hospital room closed.

“It’s okay.” The nurse was trying. Jon kept his hands tight to his face, tears leaking between his fingers. “It’s just a few minutes. The doctors just want to check on your mom’s progress. But the room is small honey, so we couldn’t all be in there…”

“Superboy.” Clark whispered. Jon’s head shot up. He was going to look at his dad, but when his eyes landed on Damian, he froze. Clark didn’t seem to notice, and stepped forward anyway. “It’s okay…”

Jon’s voice was dry. “Robin?”

His tears began to fall even faster as he let out a pained sob.

And before anyone could say anything, Jon was running down the hall, colliding with Damian’s chest at full speed as he wrapped his arms around his neck. Batman had to quickly put a hand on Damian’s back to stop him from falling over.

“I’m sorry.” Jon wheezed. It took Damian a second to react, but instantly, he held Jon back, taking his weight as the younger suddenly seemed to be collapsing. “I’m so sorry, Robin.”

“What are _you_ sorry for?” Damian snorted. “You didn’t do _anything_.”

“I should have protected you.” Jon continued, his sobbing getting worse by the moment as their fathers moved away. “I…you got hurt because of me. You got _captured_ and _hurt_ because of _me_ …!”

“I didn’t.” Damian tried. He glanced up, found Superman watching them with anguished eyes as he and Batman talked to the nurse. “I’m fine. If anything, I suppose I should be apologizing to _you_.”

“I’m sorry.” Jon started shaking his head against his neck. “I’m so sorry, Dam… _Robin_ , I.” Suddenly his knees buckled, and he jerked downward. Damian just kept him in his arms, and slowly fell with him, let his cape engulf the both of them. “I…Damian I don’t think I can do this.”

“Can’t do what?” Damian asked urgently, looking the other over. He’d seemed fine, but maybe Jon was hurt, too. Maybe there was an injury no one had caught yet. “Can’t stand? Can’t breathe?”

Jon’s nails dug into his shoulders. “I don’t think I can be a hero.”

Damian hesitated. “…Jon-”

“I tried to be like my dad. I tried to save people.” Jon breathed, but his breaths were too quick, and he was starting to tremble. Damian let him go just briefly, just to pull the cape tighter around Jon’s back. “B-but I just got my mom hurt. I got you and Batman _hurt_ , and I…I had to _watch_ , and I…!”

“You’re okay.” Damian found himself saying as Jon practically gagged. “Your mother is going to be okay.”

“I can’t be a hero. I can’t do it.” Jon rambled. “I have to stop. I’ll just hurt people. I can’t…I _need_ to-”

“What you _need_ is a break.” Damian cut off. “What you need is to get _out_ of Hamilton.”

“But…but my mom.” Jon wailed. “And _Dad_ …”

“Will follow along as soon as they can. But you can’t fix anything crying alone in a hallway and hating yourself.” A pause, and a smirk. “Trust me – I’ve tried this tactic. It doesn’t work.”

“Damian…”

“When was the last time you slept?” Damian asked, shifting. “Will you want to stay in my room or have your own? I’ll call Pennyworth to prepare during the drive. Oh – and we’ll stop by your house to pick up Krypto before we leave, he’s more than welcome as well. Now hang on.”

He flipped his cape open, and, like his father had previous, carefully slid his arm under Jon’s knees before lifting him.

Jon just clung to his neck like Damian had told him to, hiding his face along his shoulder.

“Superman,” He called. Clark looked up. “I’m taking Superboy to Gotham for recuperation. Please follow behind with my father when you’re finished here. And Ms. Lane, too, if she will be fit to travel.”

“Of course.” Clark nodded. “…Thank you, Robin.”

Damian just inclined his head, once to Superman, and then once to Batman, who nodded proudly back.

Then he spun away, and began the twisting journey back to the main floor, and out to the car.

“Get some rest, Jonathan.” Damian whispered, as they passed the buzzing hospital patients once more. “…Just please don’t drool on me.”

Jon kept his face hidden in the cape, arms almost impossibly tight around Damian’s neck.

“…I’m sorry, Damian.” Jon murmured tearfully. Still crying, and Damian could feel the tears on the edge of his collar. “I’m so sorry.”

And as Damian ignored all the curious looks, as he rushed Jon out of the hospital, and out of the town that, right now, was worse than Gotham could ever be, he sighed, giving his friend a comforting squeeze in return.

“Me too, Jon.”


End file.
